Search

A novel model of the sustainable double crosslinked molecularly imprinted polymer (D-Crosslinked MIP) represented as a supramolecular imprinted polymer was synthesized via the bulk polymerization method. The primary crosslinking was fabricated using biomacromolecule chitosan as a functional monomer and glutaraldehyde as a crosslinker. The primary crosslinked was subjected to dynamic interactions in a secondary crosslinking by binding Al 2 O 3 -NPs and TiO 2 -NPs, forming the supramolecular D-Crosslinked-MIP. The dually crosslinked formed from combining three distinct crosslinkers in one system for the interaction with As(V) and Cd(II). A microwave was employed to evaluate the performance of the designed material in selectivity and extraction of metal ions from water. The FT-IR, XRD, TG/DTA, SEM-EDX, TEM, and XPS were used to verify the characteristics of (D-nano-Al 2 O 3 @Crosslinked Chitosan@D-nano-TiO 2 ). The type of solvents, selectivity, interferences, microwave-contact time, pH, temperatures, concentrations, and regeneration were investigated. By using the D-Crosslinked-MIP, at 15 s, Cd(II) revealed a recovery capacity of 99.03 %, Q max 862.07 mg/g, while As(V) demonstrated a recovery capacity of 99.06 %, Q max 850.75 mg/g. The D-Crosslinked-MIP exhibited BETs of 69.01 m 2 /g with a pore volume of 0.2340 cm 3 /g owing to polymeric crosslinking by metal oxide NPs. The kinetics, isotherm models, and mechanisms of dually crosslinking and extraction of toxic metals were discussed., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study assesses different IBV vaccination regimens in broiler chickens using commercially available live attenuated GI-23 (Egyptian-VAR2) and GI-1 (H120) vaccines. Vaccines were administered at 1, 14 days of age, or both. The ciliostasis test, following wild-type VAR2 challenge at 28 days of age, indicated that classic H120+VAR2 at one day old followed by the VAR2 vaccine at 14 days of age provided the highest level of protection (89.58%). Similarly, administering VAR2 at 1 day of age and classic H120 at 14 days of age demonstrated substantial protection (85.42%). Conversely, administering only classic H120 and VAR2 at one day old resulted in the lowest protection level (54.17%). Tracheal virus shedding quantification and assessment of trachea and kidney degenerative changes were significantly lower in vaccinated groups compared to the unvaccinated-challenged group. In conclusion, a carefully planned vaccination regimen based on homologous vaccination offers the most effective clinical protection in broiler chickens., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this study, novel adsorbents were synthesized via the activation and magnetization of carbon spheres, graphene, and carbon nanotubes fabricated from plastics to improve their surface area and porosity and facilitate their separation from aqueous solutions. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy "FTIR", X-ray diffraction "XRD", energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy "EDX", transmission electron microscope "TEM", and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy "XPS" affirmed the successful activation and magnetization of the fabricated materials. Further, surface area analysis showed that the activation and magnetization enhanced the surface area. The weight loss ratio decreased from nearly 60% in the case of activated graphene to around 25% after magnetization, and the same trend was observed in the other materials confirming that magnetization improved the thermal stability of the fabricated materials. The prepared carbonaceous materials showed superparamagnetic properties according to the magnetic saturation values obtained from vibrating sample magnetometry analysis, where the magnetic saturation values were 33.77, 38.75, and 27.18 emu/g in the presence of magnetic activated carbon spheres, graphene, and carbon nanotubes, respectively. The adsorption efficiencies of methylene blue (MB) were 76.9%, 96.3%, and 74.8% in the presence of magnetic activated carbon spheres, graphene, and carbon nanotubes, respectively. This study proposes efficient adsorbents with low cost and high adsorption efficiency that can be applied on an industrial scale to remove emerging pollutants., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In this study, we reported sustainable and economical upcycling methods for utilizing plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP) compiled from the garbage of a residential area as cheap precursors for the production of high-value carbon materials such as graphene (G), carbon spheres (CS), and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using different thermal treatment techniques. Graphene, carbon spheres, and carbon nanotubes were successfully synthesized from PET, PP, and PET, respectively via catalytic pyrolysis. XRD and FTIR analyses were conducted on the three materials, confirming the formation of carbon and their graphitic structure. TEM images displayed uniform and consistent morphological structures of the fabricated materials. EDX data confirmed that the prepared carbon-based materials only contained carbon and oxygen without any significant contaminations. XPS results revealed significant peaks in the C 1s spectra associated with sp 2 and sp 3 hybridized carbon for the three materials. BET spectra showed that the prepared CNTs (54.872 m 2 g -1 ) have the highest surface area followed by carbon spheres (54.807 m 2 g -1 ). The thermal stability of graphene surpassed both carbon spheres and carbon nanotubes which is mainly attributed to the stronger inter-molecular bonds of graphene. Based on the characterization of the prepared materials, these materials are promising to be utilized in environmental remediation applications due to their high carbon content, low cost, and high surface area., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Cationic perylenediimide derivative, namely N,N'-di(2-(trimethylammoniumiodide)ethylene) perylenediimide (TAIPDI), has been synthesized and characterized in an aqueous medium by using dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) techniques. The optical absorption and fluorescence spectra of TAIPDI revealed the formation of aggregated TAIPDI nanowires in water, but not in organic solvents. In order to control the aggregation behavior, the optical properties of TAIPDI have been examined in different aqueous media, namely cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Furthermore, the utilization of the examined TAIPDI for constructing supramolecular donor-acceptor dyad has been achieved by combining the electron accepting TAIPDI with the electron donating 4,4'-bis (2-sulfostyryl)-biphenyl disodium salt (BSSBP). The formed supramolecular dyad TAIPDI-BSSBP through the ionic and electrostatic π-π interactions have been well examined by various spectroscopic techniques, e.g., steady-state absorption and fluorescence, cyclic voltammetry, and time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC), and first principle computational chemistry methods. Experimental results suggested the occurring of intra-supramolecular electron transfer from BSSBP to TAIPDI with rate constant and efficiency of 4.76 × 10 9  s -1 and 0.95, respectively. The ease of construction, absorption in the UV-Visible region, and fast electron transfer process render the supramolecular TAIPDI-BSSBP complex as a donor-acceptor material for optoelectronic devices., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

We report herein the surface decoration of a water-soluble free-base porphyrin, namely, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(1-methyl-4-pyridinio)porphyrin-tetra( p -toluenesulfonate) (H 2 TMPyP), over three different zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks of different linker structure and functionality; namely UiO66, UiO66-NH 2 , and MIP-202, via self-assembly. The synthesized MOFs along with the resulting complexes have been characterized via spectroscopic and analytical techniques (XRD, FT-IR, TEM, N 2 adsorption/desorption, and laser scanning confocal microscopy). The self-assembly of H 2 TMPyP with the examined three MOFs was observed by using the steady-state absorption and fluorescence, as well as the fluorescence lifetime studies. It was evident that the highest complex interaction was recorded between porphyrin and UiO-66-NH 2 compared with the lowest interactions between porphyrin and MIP-202. This is in good agreement with the high surface area and pore volume of UiO-66 (1100 m 2 g -1 and 0.68 cm 3 g -1 ) and compared to that of MIP-202 (94 m 2 g -1 and 0.26 cm 3 g -1 ). The photocatalytic activities of the three porphyrin entities immobilized zirconium-based MOFs were compared toward methyl orange dye degradation from aqueous solution under visible light irradiation ( λ ex = 430 nm). The photocatalytic studies render the fabrication of the self-assembled H 2 TMPyP@UiO-66-NH 2 composite as a promising material for dye degradation from polluted wastewater., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) H9N2 virus is one of the major poultry pathogens associated with severe economic losses in the poultry industry (broiler, layers, breeders, and grandparents' flocks), especially in endemic regions including the Middle East, North Africa, and Asian countries. This work is an attempt to evaluate the efficacy of whole inactivated H9N2 vaccine (MEFLUVAC TM H9) in turkey poults kept under laboratory and commercial farm conditions. Here, 10,000 white turkey poults (1-day old) free from maternally derived immunity against H9N2 virus were divided into four groups; G1 involved 10 vaccinated birds kept under biosafety level-3 (BLS-3) as a laboratory vaccinated and challenged group, while G2 had 9970 vaccinated turkeys raised on a commercial farm. Ten of those birds were moved to BLS-3 for daily cloacal and tracheal swabbing to check for the absence of any life-threating disease, before conducting analyses. G3 (10 birds) served as a non-vaccinated challenged control under BSL-3 conditions, while G4 (10 birds) was used as a non-vaccinated and non-challenged control under BSL-3 conditions. Sera were collected on days 7-, 14-, 21-, and 28-post-vaccinations to monitor the humoral immune response using a hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) test. At these same intervals, cloacal and tracheal swabs were also checked for any viral infection. The challenge was conducted 28 days post-vaccination (PV) using AI-H9N2 in BSL-3 by intranasal inoculation of 6-log10 embryo infective dose 50 (EID 50 ). At 3-, 6-, and 10-days post-challenge, oropharyngeal swabs were taken from challenged birds to quantify viral shedding by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The results of this study showed that vaccinated groups (G1/2) developed HI titers of 1.38, 4.38, 5.88, and 7.25 log 2 in G1 vs. 1.2, 3.8, 4.9 and 6.2 log 2 in G2 when measured at 7-, 14-, 21- and 28-days PV, respectively, while undetectable levels were recorded in non-vaccinated groups (G3/4). Birds in G3 showed 90% clinical sickness vs. 10% and 20% in G1/2, respectively, over a 10-day monitoring period following challenge. Vaccinated birds showed a significant reduction in virus shedding in terms of the number of shedders, amount of shed virus and shedding interval over the non-vaccinated challenged birds. Regarding mortality, all groups did not show any mortality, which confirms that the circulating H9N2 virus still has low pathogenicity and cannot cause mortality. However, the virus may cause up to 90% clinical sickness in non-vaccinated birds vs. 10% and 20% in laboratory- and farm-vaccinated birds, respectively, highlighting the role of the vaccine in limiting clinical sickness cases. In conclusion, under the current trial circumstances, MEFLUVAC TM -H9 provided protective seroconversion titers, significant clinical sickness protection and significant reduction in virus shedding either in laboratory- or farm-vaccinated groups after a single vaccine dose.

The most significant issue affecting the electric efficiency of solar panels is overheating. Concentration photovoltaic (CPV) modules work by converting approximately 80% of sunlight to heat; this may exceed the cell operating temperature limits. Therefore, thermal management is the best choice for keeping such panels working under specified conditions. Prior to producing an actual solar indoor unit, the current research primarily focuses on optimizing the heat sink dimensions that affect the cooling performance of the solar panel. Two parametric studies were employed to optimize the microchannel heat sink design. First, a two-dimensional numerical study was implemented to optimize the best channel height for more uniform flow inside a double-layer microchannel heat sink (DL-MCHS); the width of channels was kept as a constant value. Second, a three-dimensional conjugate heat transfer model for fluid flow in the optimized heat sink was used to optimize the inlet/outlet header length. To evaluate the overall CPV performance, a further numerical case study was carried out for the optimized designs at a wide range of inlet mass flow rates and steady-state heat flux. The findings indicated that a channel height of 0.5 mm and a header length of 20 mm were the best design points for the suggested heat sink. To assess the effectiveness of a solar/thermal module, the selected design points were applied to a 3D model. The maximum electricity efficiency measured was 17.45%, nearly 40% greater than the typical CPV/T system., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Infection with fowl adenoviruses (FAdVs) can result in a number of syndromes in the production of chicken, including inclusion body hepatitis (IBH), hepatitis-hydropericardium syndrome (HHS), and others, causing enormous economic losses around the globe. FAdVs are divided into 12 serotypes and five species (A-E; 1-8a and 8b-11). Most avian species are prone to infection due to the widespread distribution of FAdV strains. The genus aviadenovirus, which is a member of the adenoviridae family, is responsible for both IBH and HHS. The most popular types of transmission are mechanical, vertical, and horizontal. Hepatitis with basophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies distinguishes IBH, but the buildup of translucent or straw-colored fluid in the pericardial sac distinguishes HHS. IBH and HHS require a confirmatory diagnosis because their clinical symptoms and postmortem abnormalities are not unique to those conditions. Under a microscope, the presence of particular lesions and inclusion bodies may provide clues. Traditional virus isolation in avian tissue culture is more delicate than in avian embryonated eggs. Additionally, aviadenovirus may now be quickly and precisely detected using molecular diagnostic tools. Preventive techniques should rely on efficient biosecurity controls and immunize breeders prior to production in order to protect progeny. This current review gives a general overview of the current local and global scenario of IBH, and HHS brought on by FAdVs and covers both their issues and preventative vaccination methods., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 El-Shall, El-Hamid, Elkady, Ellakany, Elbestawy, Gado, Geneedy, Hasan, Jaremko, Selim, El-Tarabily and El-Hack.)

This study evaluated the efficacy of live and inactivated conventional GII LaSota and recombinant GVII Newcastle disease vaccines in commercial broilers. The experimental groups (G2-G7) were vaccinated on day 7 and day 21 of age with live vaccines from the same vaccine type "GII LaSota, GVII vaccine (A), GVII vaccine (B)" via eye drop; however, G3, G5, and G7 received a single dose from inactivated counterpart vaccines subcutaneously on day 7 of age. Vaccine efficacy was evaluated based on elicited humoral immunity, clinical protection, and reduction in virus shedding after challenge with virulent GVII 1.1. strain. Results demonstrated that live and inactivated recombinant GVII vaccine based on VG/GA strain backbone elicited superior protection parameters (100% protection). Although the conventional GII LaSota live and inactivated vaccination regime protected 93.3% of vaccinated birds, the virus shedding continued until 10 DPC. The post-vaccination serological monitoring was consistent with protection results. The study concludes that conventional GII ND vaccines alone are probably insufficient due to the current epidemiology of the GVII 1.1 NDV strains. Our findings further support that protection induced by recombinant GVII 1.1. ND vaccines are superior. Interestingly, the efficacy of recombinant ND vaccines seemed to be influenced by the backbone virus since the VG/GA backbone-based vaccine provided better protection and reduced virus shedding.

In this study, a cost-effective powdered Zn l-aspartic acid bio-metal organic framework (Zn l-Asp bio-MOF) was reported as an efficient adsorbent for Direct Red 81 (DR-81) as an anionic organic dye. The prepared bio-MOF was characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field emission transmission electron microscopy (FETEM), surface area analysis (BET), and thermal gravimetrical analysis (TGA). The resulting bio-MOF has a large surface area (180.43 m 2 g -1 ) and large mesopore volume (0.144 cm 3 g -1 ), as well as good chemical inertness and mechanical stability. The optimum dosage from the Zn l-Asp bio-MOF was 1.0 g L -1 at pH = 7 for 95.3% adsorption of 10 ppm DR-81 after 45 min. Thermodynamic analysis results demonstrated that the decontamination processes were done with spontaneous, thermodynamically, and exothermic nature onto the fabricated bio-MOF. Kinetic parameters were well-fitted with pseudo-second-order kinetics, and the adsorption process was described by the Freundlich isotherm. The adsorption data proved that Zn l-Asp bio-MOF is an effective adsorbent for DR-81 from aqueous solutions with high stability and recycling ability for eight cycles, as well as the easy regeneration of the sorbent., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

This work deals with the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles/activated carbon (ZnO NPs/AC) nanocomposites with different weight ratios (3:1, 1:1, and 1:3), where the antimicrobial, antiviral, and cytotoxicity impact of the formulated nanocomposites were evaluated versus the crude ZnO and AC samples. The formula (3:1; designated Z3C1) exhibited the utmost bactericidal effect against Gram positive group, unicellular and filamentous fungi. Regarding Gram negative group, the sample (Z3C1) was remarkably effective against Klebsiella pneumonia, unlike the case of Escherichia coli. Moreover, the whole samples showed negligible cytotoxicity against the human WI38 cell line, where the most brutality (4%) was exerted by 1000 µg/mL of the formula (Z1C3). Whilst, the formula (Z3C1) exerted the apical inhibition impact against Herpes simplex (HSV1) virus. Consequently, the synthesized (Z3C1) nanocomposite was sorted out to be fully characterized via different physicochemical techniques including FTIR, XRD, SEM, TEM, Zeta potential, TGA, and BET. XRD indicated a predominance of the crystalline pattern of ZnO NPs over the amorphous AC, while the FTIR chart confirmed an immense combination between the ZnO NPs and AC. SEM, TEM, and size distribution images illustrated that the fabricated ZnO NPs/AC was in the nanoscale size swung from 30 to 70 nm. The distinctive surface area of composite material, recording 66.27 m 2 /g, clearly disclosed its bioactivity toward different bacterial, fungal, and virus species., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Newcastle disease (ND), caused by avian orthoavulavirus type-1 (NDV), is endemic in poultry in many regions of the world and causes continuing outbreaks in poultry populations. In the Middle East, genotype XXI, used to be present in poultry in Egypt but has been replaced by genotype VII. We investigated whether virus evolution contributed to superseding and focussed on the antigenic sites within the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) spike protein. Full-length sequences of an NDV genotype VII isolate currently circulating in Egypt was compared to a genotype XXI isolate that was present as co-infection with vaccine-type viruses (II) in a historical virus isolated in 2011. Amino acid differences in the HN glycoprotein for both XXI and VII viruses amounted to 11.7% and 11.9%, respectively, compared to the La Sota vaccine type. However, mutations within the globular head (aa 126-570), bearing relevant antigenic sites, were underrepresented (a divergence of 8.8% and 8.1% compared to 22.4% and 25.6% within the protein domains encompassing cytoplasmic tail, transmembrane part and stalk regions (aa 1-125) for genotypes XXI and VII, respectively). Nevertheless, reaction patterns of HN-specific monoclonal antibodies inhibiting receptor binding revealed differences between vaccine-type viruses and genotype XXI and VII viruses for epitopes located in the head domain. Accordingly, compared to Egyptian vaccine-type isolates and the La Sota vaccine reference strain, single aa substitutions in 6 of 10 described neutralizing epitopes of HN were found. However, the same alterations in neutralization sensitive epitopes were present in old genotype XXI as well as in newly emerged genotype VII isolates. In addition, isolates were indistinguishable by polyclonal chicken sera raised against different genotypes including vaccine viruses. These findings suggest that factors other than antigenic differences within the HN protein account for facilitating the spread of genotype VII versus genotype XXI viruses in Egypt., (© 2021 The Authors. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The design of a highly active Fe-supported catalyst with the optimum particle and pore size, dispersion, loading, and stability is essential for obtaining the desired product selectivity. This study employed a solvothermal method to prepare two Fe-MIL-88B metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived catalysts using triethylamine (TEA) or NaOH as deprotonation catalysts. The catalysts were analyzed using X-ray diffraction, N 2 -physisorption, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, H 2 temperature-programed reduction, and thermogravimetric analysis and were evaluated for the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis performance. It was evident that the catalyst preparation in the presence of TEA produces a higher MOF yield and smaller crystal size than those produced using NaOH. The pyrolysis of MOFs yielded catalysts with different Fe particle sizes of 6 and 35 nm for the preparation in the presence of TEA and NaOH, respectively. Also, both types of catalysts exhibited a high Fe loading (50%) and good stability after 100 h reaction time. The smaller particle size TEA catalyst showed higher activity and higher olefin yield, with 94% CO conversion and a higher olefin yield of 24% at a lower reaction temperature of 280 °C and 20 bar at H 2 /CO = 1. Moreover, the smaller particle size TEA catalyst exhibited higher Fe time yield and CH 4 selectivity but with lower chain growth probability (α) and C 5+ selectivity., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Methyl orange (MO) is categorized among the recalcitrant and refractory xenobiotics, representing a significant burden in the ecosystem. To clean-up the surrounding environment, advances in microbial degradation have been made. The main objective of this study was to investigate the extent to which an autochthonous consortium immobilized in alginate beads can promote an efficient biodegradation of MO. By employing response surface methodology (RSM), a parametric model explained the interaction of immobilized consortium ( Raoultella planticola , Ochrobactrum thiophenivorans , Bacillus flexus and Staphylococcus xylosus ) to assimilate 200 mg/L of MO in the presence of 40 g/L of NaCl within 120 h. Physicochemical analysis, including UV-Vis spectroscopy and FTIR, and monitoring of the degrading enzymes (azoreductase, DCIP reductase, NADH reductase, laccase, LiP, MnP, nitrate reductase and tyrosinase) were used to evaluate MO degradation. In addition, the toxicity of MO-degradation products was investigated by means of phytotoxicity and cytotoxicity. Chlorella vulgaris retained its photosynthetic performance (>78%), as shown by the contents of chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b and carotenoids. The viability of normal lung and kidney cell lines was recorded to be 90.63% and 99.23%, respectively, upon exposure to MO-metabolic outcomes. These results reflect the non-toxicity of treated samples, implying their utilization in ferti-irrigation applications and industrial cooling systems. Moreover, the immobilized consortium was employed in the bioremediation of MO from artificially contaminated agricultural and industrial effluents, in augmented and non-augmented systems. Bacterial consortium remediated MO by 155 and 128.5 mg/L in augmented systems of agricultural and industrial effluents, respectively, within 144 h, revealing its mutual synergistic interaction with both indigenous microbiotas despite differences in their chemical, physical and microbial contents. These promising results encourage the application of immobilized consortium in bioaugmentation studies using different resources.

Organophosphate-based pesticides, such as diazinon, are among the most toxic organic contaminants to human and environment. Effective removal of diazinon from contaminated water sources is critical. Zirconium Metal-organic frameworks (Zr-MOFs) are promising candidates for the removal of organic contaminants from wastewater. Herein, we report the adequacy of a bio based Zr-MOF named MIP-202 for the removal of diazinon from water. On the other hand, the use of these materials in powder form is not workable, the development of scalable and economical processes and integrative of these materials onto beads is paramount for industrial processes. Hence, it was reported a scalable, bio aqueous solution-based preparation strategy for Bio Zr-MOF beads production. The composite material exposed identical reactivity under the same ambient parameters compared to powdered material in an aqueous solution. These results signify a critical procedure to an integrated strategy for organophosphates removal using bio-based MOFs, which demonstrates high potential for manufacturing applications such as continued removal of organophosphates from wastewater supplies.

Friction stir welding (FSW) as a solid-state process is an excellent candidate for high softening temperature materials welding; however, extending the tool life is required to make the process cost-effective. This work investigates the use of a high pin to shoulder ratio (65%) tungsten carbide (WC) tool for friction stir welding of 5 mm thick 2205 DSS to extend the tool life of this low-cost tool material. In addition, the effect of FSW parameters in terms of rotational rates, travel speeds, and downward forces on the microstructural features and mechanical properties of the welded joints were investigated. Characterization in terms of visual inspection, macro and microstructures, hardness, and tensile testing was conducted. The obtained results indicated that the combined rotational rate, travel speed, and downward force parameters govern the production of defect-free joints. The 2205 DSS friction stir welds show an enhancement in hardness compared to the base material. The stir zone showed a significantly refined grain structure of ferrite and austenite with the reduction in the average grain size from 8.8 µm and 13.3 µm for the base material to 2.71 µm and 2.24 µm, respectively. Moreover, this joint showed higher yield strength and ultimate tensile strength compared to the DSS as-received material.

An efficient, environmentally compatible and highly porous, silver surface-modified photocatalytic zinc oxide/cellulose acetate/ polypyrrole ZnO/CA/Ppy hybrid nanofibers matrix was fabricated using an electrospinning technique. Electrospinning parameters such as solution flow rate, applied voltage and the distance between needles to collector were optimized. The optimum homogenous and uniform ZnO/CA/Ppy polymeric composite nanofiber was fabricated through the dispersion of 0.05% wt ZnO into the dissolved hybrid polymeric solution with an average nanofiber diameter ranged between 125 and 170 nm. The fabricated ZnO-polymeric nanofiber was further surface-immobilized with silver nanoparticles to enhance its photocatalytic activity through the reduction of the nanofiber bandgap. A comparative study between ZnO polymeric nanofiber before and after silver immobilization was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of the two different prepared nanofibers before and after nanosilver immobilization for malachite green (MG) dye was compared against various experimental parameters. The optimum degradation efficiency of nanosilver surface-modified ZnO-polymeric nanofibers was recorded as 93.5% for malachite green dye after 1 h compared with 63% for ZnO-polymeric nanofibers.

This reported work aims to fabricate an eco-friendly Zr bio-based MOF and assessment its adsorption efficiency towards the cationic and anionic dye pollutants including methylene blue (MB) and direct red 81 (DR-81), respectively. Also, its adsorption tendency for the highly toxic heavy metal of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) was compared with dyes. The adsorption performance of bio-MOF showed that the maximum monolayer adsorption capacities were recorded as 79.799 mg/g for MB, 36.071 mg/g for DR-81, and 19.012 mg/g for Cr(VI). Meanwhile, the optimum dosage of as-synthesized MIP-202 bio-MOF was 0.5, 1, and 2 g L -1 for MB, DR-81, and Cr(VI), respectively. Thermodynamic analysis demonstrated the spontaneous, thermodynamically, and endothermic nature of the decontamination processes onto the fabricated Zr bio-based MOF. The adsorption data were fitted by Langmuir isotherm model compared with Freundlich and Temkin models for all studied water pollutants. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model was a fit model for description of the adsorption kinetics of the different cationic and anionic pollutants onto Zr bio-based MOF. These outcomes indicated that Zr bio-based MOF has potential application for adsorption of different types of industrial water pollutants including cationic and anionic dyes and heavy metals.

Avian infectious bronchitis is a contagious viral disease, caused by avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), that leads to severe losses in the poultry industry all over the world. Since the 1950s, IBV has circulated in the Middle East and North Africa, and no tangible evidence has shown any effects of measures taken to control its spread or evolution. Furthermore, new IBV variants are continually discovered. Although several genetic studies on IBV have been conducted, many IBV strains from this region have either been misclassified or remain unclassified. The genotype 23 (GI-23) variant emerged and has prevailed in the Middle East by continuously evolving through inter- and/or intra-genotypic recombination. The GI-23 genotype is currently enzootic throughout Europe and Asia. Although many studies of protection against the circulating strains have been conducted, they have not been standardized according to regulatory requirements. In this review, we provide an overview of the evolution and genetic diversity of IBV genotypes and a genetic classification of IBV strains, with a focus on the GI-23 genotype. The high prevalence of IBV GI-23 strains necessitates the adoption of vaccination schemes using GI-23-based vaccines.

Due to the negative impact of the heavy metal ions in water, the rejection of these toxic materials is one of the urgent requests for wastewater treatment. This work aims to facile fabrication and characterization of new organic/inorganic hybrid nanofiber membrane composites for removal of Fe (III) and Pb (II) ions using a batch technique. The manufacturing of pure cellulose acetate nanofibers (CA NFs) and its impregnated with hydroxyapatite (CA/HAp) nanocomposite fibers is explored by an electrospinning process. A production process of uniform and bead-free nanofiber is developed by adjusting various electrospinning conditions. The experiments prove that the slight changes in operating parameters may result in significant variations in the fiber morphology. The influence of various adsorption conditions and its effect on the removal efficiency is investigated. High separation efficiency of about 99.7 and 95.46% within 35 and 40 min. for adsorption Pb (II) and Fe (III) ions using hybrid nanofiber composite, respectively are obtained. The adsorption process was found to obey a pseudo-second-order and Freundlich models. The adsorption mechanism on the CA/HAp composite can be established via ion exchange and surface complexation., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Prospective involvement of metal oxide nanomaterials as a prominent agriculture practice for improving existing crop production directed the present investigation for synthesizing of ZnO and TiO 2 nanomaterials as an attempt to enhance the transplants production of some Solanaceae crops. The morphological characterizations of the prepared nanomaterials indicated that the hydrothermal synthesized ZnO was produced in nanorod structure with an average aspect ratio of 7. However, SEM and TEM micrographs of microwave prepared TiO 2 evident that it has a nanoparticle structure with an average diameter of 43 nm. The BET results confirmed the high specific areas of the two prepared metal oxide nanomaterials. The two synthesized metal oxide nanomaterials were coated in gel and mixed with the seeds of eggplant, pepper and tomato crops at four concentrations 0, 50, 100 and 150 mg/L, whilst the control seeds were germinated in distilled water without gel-coating. The results pointed to the outstanding effect of TiO 2 and ZnO nanoparticles on germination characters and seedlings growth. The maximum transplants lengths, fresh and dry weight were recorded at the level 100 mg/L whatever the crop plant used. Hastening germination operation of nanomaterials-gel coated seedlings compared to control plants may be ascribed to the reduction of mean germination time and coefficient variation of the germination process besides increasing the mean germination rate and the synchrony of germination traits. Overall, better performance of growing transplants has been accredited for nanoparticles-gel coated seedlings more than the control treatments which could be efficient for the safer production of transplants in an innovative way., (© 2020 The Authors.)

Considering the great impact of a material's surface area on adsorption processes, hollow nanotube magnetic zinc oxide with a favorable surface area of 78.39 m²/g was fabricated with the assistance of microwave technology in the presence of poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) as a stabilizing agent followed by sonic precipitation of magnetite nano-particles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs identified the nanotubes' morphology in the synthesized material with an average aspect ratio of 3. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis verified the combination of magnetite material with the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO in the prepared material. The immobilization of magnetite nanoparticles on to ZnO was confirmed using vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The sorption affinity of the synthesized magnetic ZnO nanotube for phenolic compounds from aqueous solutions was examined as a function of various processing factors. The degree of acidity of the phenolic solution has great influence on the phenol sorption process on to magnetic ZnO. The calculated value of ΔH⁰ designated the endothermic nature of the phenol uptake process on to the magnetic ZnO nanotubes. Mathematical modeling indicated a combination of physical and chemical adsorption mechanisms of phenolic compounds on to the fabricated magnetic ZnO nanotubes. The kinetic process correlated better with the second-order rate model compared to the first-order rate model. This result indicates the predominance of the chemical adsorption process of phenol on to magnetic ZnO nanotubes., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Development of reliable and low-cost requirement for large-scale eco-friendly biogenic synthesis of metallic nanoparticles is an important step for industrial applications of bionanotechnology. In the present study, the mycosynthesis of spherical nano-Ag (12.7 ± 0.8 nm) from extracellular filtrate of local endophytic T. harzianum SYA.F4 strain which have interested mixed bioactive metabolites (alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, phenols, nitrate reductase (320 nmol/hr/ml), carbohydrate (25 μg/μl) and total protein concentration (2.5 g/l) was reported. Industrial mycosynthesis of nano-Ag can be induced with different characters depending on the fungal cultivation and physical conditions. Taguchi design was applied to improve the physicochemical conditions for nano-Ag production, and the optimum conditions which increased its mass weight 3 times larger than a basal condition were as follows: AgNO 3 (0.01 M), diluted reductant (10 v/v, pH 5) and incubated at 30 °C, 200 rpm for 24 hr. Kinetic conversion rates in submerged batch cultivation in 7 L stirred tank bioreactor on using semi-defined cultivation medium was as follows: the maximum biomass production (X max ) and maximum nano-Ag mass weight (P max ) calculated (60.5 g/l and 78.4 g/l respectively). The best nano-Ag concentration that formed large inhibition zones was 100 μg/ml which showed against A.alternate (43 mm) followed by Helminthosporium sp. (35 mm), Botrytis sp. (32 mm) and P. arenaria (28 mm).

Acrylonitrile-Styrene co-polymer was prepared by solution polymerization and fabricated into nanofibers using the electrospinning technique. The nanofiber polarization was enhanced through its surface functionalization with carboxylic acid groups by simple chemical modification. The carboxylic groups' presence was dedicated using the FT-IR technique. SEM showed that the nanofiber attains a uniform and porous structure. The equilibrium and kinetic behaviors of basic violet 14 dye sorption onto the nanofibers were examined. Both Langmuir and Temkin models are capable of expressing the dye sorption process at equilibrium. The intraparticle diffusion and Boyd kinetic models specified that the intraparticle diffusion step was the main decolorization rate controlling the process.

Zirconium tungesto-vanadate cation exchange material was successfully architectured at open ended nanotubes morphological structure in the presence of polyvinyl alcohol as a stabilizing agent using microwave route. The ion exchange capacity (IEC) of the material was recorded as 4.8 meq/g of about 640 m(2)/g for a specific surface area. The x-ray diffraction pattern of the material implies its crystallinity. Both scanning and transmission electron microscopes identified the average aspect ratio of the architectured nanotubes as 6.5 and its hollow structure. The material posed 96.4 % cadmium ion decontamination within 90 min compared with 84 % strontium decontamination at the same time.

Nano-ZnO has been successfully implemented in particles, rods, and tubes nanostructures via sol-gel and hydrothermal techniques. The variation of the different preparation parameters such as reaction temperature, time, and stabilizer agents was optimized to attain different morphological structures. The influence of the microwave annealing process on ZnO crystallinity, surface area, and morphological structure was monitored using XRD, BET, and SEM techniques, respectively. The antimicrobial activity of zinc oxide produced in nanotubes structure was examined against four different multidrug resistant bacteria: Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) strains. The activity of produced nano-ZnO was determined by disc diffusion technique and the results revealed that ZnO nanotubes recorded high activity against the studied strains due to their high surface area equivalent to 17.8 m(2)/g. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ZnO nanotubes showed that the low concentrations of ZnO nanotubes could be a substitution for the commercial antibiotics when approached in suitable formula. Although the annealing process of ZnO improves the degree of material crystallinity, however, it declines its surface area and consequently its antimicrobial activity.

In this study, a bioflocculant with a high flocculation activity (> 98%) produced by strain 40B, which was isolated from a brackish water was investigated By 16S rDNA sequence analysis, strain 40B was identified as Bacillus velezensis. Chemical analysis of the bioflocculant 40B indicated that it contained 2% protein and 98% carbohydrates. FTIR analysis showed the presence of carboxyl, hydroxyl and amino groups, which were preferred for the flocculation process. The optimal concentration for the flocculation activity was 3.5 mg (-1). This polysaccharide could also flocculate kaolin suspension over a wide range of pH (1-10) and temperature (5-85 degrees C) in the presence of CaCl2. The stability of the bioflocculant 40B under various conditions suggests its possible use in the industries and environmental applications. However, no previous report exists on the isolation and characterization of a bioflocculant from the Bacillus velezensis.

Bacillus mojavensis strain 32A that exhibited 96.11% flocculation efficiency for clay suspensions was selected from other 15 comparative strains. Under growth condition, strain 32A was able to produce 5.2g/L of purified biopolymer. Its constituent was mainly polysaccharide and protein with proportional of 98.4-1.6% respectively. FTIR spectrum was confirming its chemical analysis. This biopolymer attain very fast sedimentation rate. The cost-effective biopolymer and CaCl(2) dosages were 3mg/L and 5 ml/L respectively that posed 89.7% flocculation efficiency. These dosages were suitable only for clay concentrations ≤5g/L. The maximum flocculation efficiency of the biopolymer recorded at pH 1.0 of clay suspension. The too high (>75°C) or too low (<25°C) clay suspension temperature was unfavorable for the biopolymer flocculation performance. The biopolymer solution utilized high thermal stability over the temperature range of 5-60°C. Furthermore, its pH stability recorded at pH range of 5-9., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)